Nutrition in emergency situations - Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)

The Horizon Europe Programme offers a grant opportunity under Cluster 6, focused on "Nutrition in emergency situations - Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)." The initiative aims to address issues related to malnutrition in emergencies, emphasizing the need to increase the use of locally sourced ingredients for RUSF and RUTF production in African countries. This shift is intended to minimize reliance on imported components, thereby fostering sustainability and improving food security. Eligible applicants include diverse entities such as health specialists, producers, SMEs, food industries, academic researchers, and health institutes, from both Europe and Africa. A consortium is required, comprising at least three independent legal entities from African Union member states, with at least two from the same African region. This approach promotes collaboration between various stakeholders, enhancing interdisciplinary research. The funding mechanism is primarily a grant, specifically using a HORIZON lump sum grant model. The indicative budget for the specific topic, HORIZON-CL6, is €8 million, with expected funding amounts typically ranging from €2 million to €50 million depending on the project's scope. Projects may also provide financial support to third parties, capped at €60,000 per third party. The application process is a single-stage open call, opening on May 6, 2025, and closing on September 16, 2025. Success rates for similar calls generally range from 10 to 39%. The nature of support is monetary, focused on scaling up local production of RUSF and RUTF tailored to local contexts, addressing specifics of child health, regulatory frameworks, and climate adaptability. The primary expected outcomes include improved access to nutritious products for children, development of sustainable local food systems, and contributions towards climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Projects are encouraged to adopt innovative practices, including mentoring for new business concepts, particularly those enhancing the roles of women and disadvantaged groups. Overall, this funding opportunity aims to create sustainable food systems that are locally sourced, environmentally conscious, and effective in meeting nutritional needs in emergency situations, while promoting cooperation between European and African partners.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within Cluster 6, focusing on "Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment". The call, designated as HORIZON-CL6, aims to address nutrition in emergency situations, particularly concerning Ready-to-Use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

The core issue is the over-reliance on imported components in RUSF and RUTF production, neglecting locally available resources in Africa. The funding seeks to promote a sustainable and healthy food systems approach through research and innovation.

The primary goal is to increase the use of locally sourced ingredients, including proteins, micronutrients, and fatty acids from plant, marine, and other regional sources, in the production and processing of RUSF and RUTF. This aligns with Codex Guidelines CXG 95-2022 in Africa. The initiative also aims to identify and certify new, locally produced, alternative supplementary foods by the World Health Organization (WHO). These alternatives should be suitable for children based on their health status and local conditions, moving away from the exclusive use of RUTF, which faces challenges related to production and transportation costs, accessibility in conflict zones, and a significant carbon footprint.

This topic aligns with the Food 2030 strategy, emphasizing co-benefits in nutrition, climate, circularity, and innovation. It also implements the FNSSA roadmap of the AU-EU research and innovation partnership and is part of a humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus action.

Expected outcomes include:

Scaling up local RUSF and RUTF production to improve access for children in need.

Enabling national governments to develop context-specific versions of RUSF and RUTF with higher acceptability and regulatory frameworks for manufacturers, adhering to Codex Alimentarius Guidelines.

Supporting African countries in local production of supplements, contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation, efficient resource management, resilience, disaster risk reduction, and biodiversity protection.

Parallel research into new, safe, and effective recipes to complement or replace RUTF under specific conditions, in collaboration with the Nutrition Technical Advisory Board and WHO validation, ensuring quality criteria and appropriate usage guidelines based on child health and local circumstances.

The scope of the funding involves:

Research and innovation collaboration between Europe and Africa to help African countries (health specialists, producers, seed companies, SMEs, and food industries) scale up local production of RUSF, RUTF, and related ingredients.

Using varieties adapted to local climate and agro-ecological conditions to protect and restore biodiversity.

Reducing the climate footprint of production and transport, aligning with climate change adaptation and mitigation goals and sustainable resource management.

Implementing a multi-actor approach involving diverse food systems stakeholders and inter-disciplinary research.

Linking up with other AU-EU research and innovation projects, particularly those related to Food Systems transition, Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE), and the AU-EU Innovation Union, utilizing networks like the CEA-First project and the International Research Consortium on FNSSA.

Innovation aspects include:

Mentoring and accelerating innovative business concepts, including social innovation and upscaling, for African or European food business entrepreneurs and start-ups, with a focus on women and the diaspora, using cascading funding opportunities.

Providing financial support to third parties, such as academic researchers, health institutes, start-ups, SMEs, and other multidisciplinary actors, to develop, test, or validate assessment approaches, collect data, or contribute to project objectives. Consortia must define the selection process for these organizations. A maximum of 20% of EU funding can be allocated for this purpose.

Encouraging contributions from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines.

The call specifies several conditions and requirements:

The budget overview indicates that HORIZON-CL6 has a budget of €8,000,000 for the year 2025. The call is a single-stage process, with the opening date on May 6, 2025, and a deadline of September 16, 2025. The indicative number of grants is around 2.

Additional information and support are available through various resources, including the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. Partner search tools are also available.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to foster collaboration between European and African entities to enhance the local and sustainable production of supplementary and therapeutic foods in Africa, addressing nutritional needs in emergency situations while promoting climate-friendly and biodiversity-conscious practices. It encourages innovative business models and the involvement of diverse stakeholders, with a focus on empowering African countries to develop and implement context-appropriate solutions.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on "Nutrition in emergency situations - Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)" HORIZON-CL6. The primary goal is to promote sustainable and healthy food systems by increasing the use of locally available resources in the production of RUSF and RUTF in African countries. The call encourages research and innovation collaboration between Europe and Africa to develop and scale up local production of these foods, using climate-adapted varieties and protecting biodiversity.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as health specialists, producers, seed companies, SMEs, food industries, academic researchers, and health institutes from both Europe and Africa. Consortia must include at least three independent legal entities from African Union member states, with at least two from the same African Union region.

The funding mechanism is primarily grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum. Projects should implement a multi-actor approach, involve inter-disciplinary research, and link up with other relevant AU-EU initiatives. Innovation is a key aspect, with proposals expected to include mentoring and acceleration for innovative business concepts, particularly those involving women and the diaspora. Financial support to third parties is also encouraged, with a maximum of €60,000 per third party.

The call aims to contribute to several expected outcomes, including improved access to life-saving nutrition products, development of sustainable and locally produced RUSF and RUTFs tailored to local contexts, and supporting African countries in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. The indicative budget for the HORIZON-CL6 topic is €8,000,000, with an expected two grants to be awarded. The call opens on 06 May 2025, with a deadline of 16 September 2025.